Broken Promises, Shattered Dreams
by Kursed SeeD
Summary: Leon is trying to move on from the past and a certain blonde wants to help him. However, other people have other ideas. [Yaoi. LC, RS.]
1. Memories

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Title: _Broken Promises, Shattered Dreams_

Author: _Kursed SeeD_

Warnings: _Angst, Yaoi, maybe some fluff... somewhere. _

Pairings: _Leon/Cloud, Squall/Seifer (Only in Leon's memory.)_

Notes: _Yeah, yeah. It's just what the summary says. 'Times passes and hope wears thin. What happens when Leon takes comfort in another?' If this story does not go *entirely* with the storyline, please forgive me. Just pretend it's sort of an AU and leave it at that. _

Disclaimer:_ Yeah, right... like I own Kingdom Hearts..._

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_Memories_

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It had been three years since he had last seen his love. Three years spent crying in darkened spaces, wanting desperately through seemingly endless nights and hoping against hope that he'd see him again one day. 

After three years, hope begins to wear out. 

The man, once called Squall Leonhart, had come to a bitter conclusion a couple of months ago. A conclusion that he had tried to ignore, but always came bubbling back up to the surface when he dreaded it the most. A conclusion he could no longer ignore. 

__

Seifer was gone. 

That was a thought that tore him in two. He didn't want to think that he'd never see the man he loved again. He wanted to continue to hope and pray that he'd come back... but it was just too draining... Three years was long enough. 

"Leon?" A soft voice interrupted his thoughts. 

He turned towards the younger man.   
  
"What are you doing? It's getting pretty late and it's cold out here..." 

Leon scoffed at Cloud. He was Shiva's bitch, he could handle a little cold weather. It surely wouldn't kill him.   
  
"Mind if I join you?"   
  
Leon shrugged in response, which the blonde took as a 'yes'.   
  
Cloud leaned against the railing, looking out at the sky. "So... what are you thinking about?" He asked after a moment, not really expecting an answer.   
  
"Just... things." 

Cloud almost rolled his eyes at Leon's response. So predictable. "What things?"   
  
Leon jerked away from the balcony and shot the younger man a cold glare. "None of your business."   
  
Cloud watched silently as the brunette walked away, retreating back into his little shell. Like he had always done. Like he would always do. 

He sighed to himself and watched as some birds flew by. Sometimes he was envious of them. If life got hard, they could simply fly south, where only warmth and sunshine awaited them. 

'What a foolish thought...' He rested his head on the railing. 'I bet if Leon could hear me he'd probably just snicker.' 

Leon. That man was more of a mystery than even Cloud himself. Sure, Cloud was a private person, but within reason. There were a few people he spoke openly with, like Aeris and Cid. But Leon, on the other hand, acted like opening up to _anyone_ would mean the end of the world.   
  
Cloud could imagine what Leon's list of deadly sins looked like. 'Talking to people', 'Sharing' and 'Being nice' certainly had to be on the list. Along with 'Trusting people', 'Complaining' and 'Saying more than a paragraph a day'. 

It was frustrating to Cloud. He knew something was hurting Leon, that he had lost someone or something very important to him when the Heartless had invaded, but Leon wouldn't open up to him, despite Clouds' countless attempts. 

He sighed again. He didn't know _why_ he felt such a strong need to comfort the older man, but he did. And Cloud had never been one to doubt his emotions. A feeling that strong required _no_ questions. He was resolved to help Leon... no matter how long it took, or how far he had to go... 

**__**

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Leon bit his lip and curled up into a ball. All he wanted to do was sleep, but he couldn't. Bits and pieces of his past life kept washing over him. They were both annoying and painful, like unwanted house guests. 

__

"Hey, princess! Whatcha say me and you get a bite together down at D'Lengos later on?"   
  
D'Lengos had been there 'special spot'. They often went to dinner there, just to get away from all the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It gave them a chance to be alone with each other, to spend some quality time together.   
  
Leon remembered that Seifer had found out about the place much by accident.   
  
_"Well, puberty boy, you're never gonna guess what happened. Me, Quisty and Chickie were out looking for that damn cave we were supposed to find around Timber and guess what we ran across? This nice little restaurant. I think you'd like it. It's quiet and peaceful... isn't that your kinda thing? Anyways, we should go sometime. Whatta ya say?" _

He felt a sudden chill, which was kind of ironic, since he had thought earlier how impossible it was for him to be cold. Leon drew the blankets around him as more memories washed over him. 

__

"Look, we need to stop pretending that there's something special between us, because I know there's not. I've known that for a while now, I guess I just didn't want to believe it. Just... go to him and be happy, okay Squall? If not for yourself, then do it for me. I want to see you smile again and I know he can make you do that. Now go." 

Rinoa's words to him seemed like a lifetime ago. He and Rinoa had supposedly been the 'perfect' couple. After a while, though, both of them had realised it was only a sham. The only thing they had between the two of them was a friendship, and a fragile one at that. Leon remembered how surprised he had been that night, both at Rinoa's perception and his own sudden realisation. Afterwards, he had felt almost foolish. How could he have loved Seifer almost his entire life and not realise it?   
  
_"Wow... where'd that come from? Oh hey, wait... don't turn away from me. I'm just **really** surprised, that's all. Don't give me that look, it's not a bad thing, 'coz... well... you see... I... uh... that is... I... kinda feel the same way... about you..."   
  
_There was a ghost of a smile upon Leon's lips as he remembered Seifer's reaction to his sudden declaration of love. Leon had been nervous beyond belief and just sort of blurted out "I love you." He had mistaken Seifer's look of shock for one of disgust and had turned to leave, but was euphoric when Seifer had stopped him with a revelation of his own. 

Everything after that was just history. Of course, there had been everyone's reactions when they had found out about the pair. _  
  
_Leon could have almost laughed at their reactions, every last one of them so damn predictable. 

Zell had been shocked. _"Wha? You and Seifer? I never knew, man! Congrats or something, I guess?"   
  
_Of course, Quistis had claimed she knew it all along. _"I knew there was a special something between the two of you. The way you fought, interacted... I'm glad I know for sure now."   
  
_Selphie had jumped up and down like a child overdosing on candy. _"Booyaka! I knew they didn't come any gayer than you two!"   
  
_Irvine had offered a sly wink. _"So, is he as good in bed as I hear?"_

Leon supposed that Rinoa's reaction had been the most comforting of them all. She had hugged him and held him close, whispering in his ear. _"I'm so glad that you did that, Squall. You'll finally be happy now, and so will I."   
  
_Leon frowned in annoyance as he heard something wet splash against his pillow. He hadn't meant to start crying. He didn't want to cry. _He didn't want to remember. _

However, he knew it was useless to try to fight the oncoming rain of tears. It happened every time he got lost in his memories. It made everyone seem so close to him, almost close enough to touch them. The pain of realising he was the only one left couldn't even begin to be described. 

He buried his head in the pillow as the sobs wracked through his body. 'Why... why did this have to happen? Why did you have to leave me, Seifer? You promised you'd never leave me...' 

**__**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cloud sat up in his bed instantly. He could have sworn he heard someone crying. He strained to hear. Yes. It was definitely someone crying. But _who_?

Without a second thought, Cloud stood up and padded barefoot out into the hall. He paused for a moment, listening closely, and began to follow the noise. 

He stopped when he reached Leon's door. When he pressed his ear against the cold wood he knew for sure. It was _Leon_ crying. But why?   
  
Cautiously, Cloud knocked on the door. "Hey, Leon? You alright in there?"   
  
No one responded, so Cloud knocked again, this time harder. "Are you okay?"   
  
After a few moments a muffled reply came. "I'm fine. Go away."   
  
"But I-"   
  
"I said go away."   
  
Cloud's shoulders sagged in defeat. Of course Leon didn't want his help. Leon didn't want _anyone's _help.   
  
"Fine, fine." He muttered, making his way back to his room. 

Later on, in the safety of his own bed, he once again began to wonder. What had made Leon, the 'cold unfeeling bastard' cry? Was it that loss of someone or something that Cloud had thought it was? Or something entirely different? And what would he have to do to be able to help Leon, like he so longed to do?   
  
Cloud sighed to himself. So many questions... and he didn't have a single answer for any of them. 

-

-

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Author's Notes: _Will Leon ever be happy? Will Cloud figure out what's wrong with the mysterious brunette? What happened to Seifer? And the most important question of them all... Will there be any Riku/Sora action?! (Okay, this is *me* we're talking about here... somewhere or another, there's *bound* to be some Riku/Sora action.) Anyway... to continue or not to continue? I'll leave that up to you. _

-- Thanks to Zencreation for beta-reading this for me and giving me the name of this fic! Love ya, hon! --


	2. In the Moonlight

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In the Moonlight

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A kid.   
  
The Keyblade had chosen a _kid_.

"I can't believe the Keyblade chose a _kid_." If one knew Leon really well, they would have been able to detect the slightest bit of anger in his voice. His disbelief was more than obvious. 

Cloud couldn't understand why Leon kept going on about the kid and his Keyblade. Sure, it was a little _odd_ that such a powerful weapon had chosen a mere child, but it was still meant a possibility for peace. A return to normalcy. Who cared further than that?   
  
"I mean... a _kid_ for Hyne's sake."   
  
While Cloud was glad Leon was speaking, he wished it was about something _other_ than that. 

"He only beat me because I went easy on him."   
  
Why did he keep saying that? Who was he trying to convince? Himself or Cloud? 

"In a real battle he'd never be able to take me."   
  
Cloud continued to sit there quietly, his legs tucked beneath him. What could he possibly say to Leon? He had yet to understand the great significance of any of this. 

Cloud had yet to meet the Key bearer. Yuffie had told him his name was Sora._ "He's a good kid. Definitely spunky." _Spunky was always a good thing as far as Yuffie was concerned. 

"I'm going to bed." Leon said suddenly, standing up. 

Cloud didn't even bother to try to stop him and get him to talk. If Leon wanted to talk, he'd talk. While Cloud may have not known Leon as well as some people might, he knew him well enough to know that now would not be a good time to mess with him. 

Cloud sighed and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. Tomorrow he was heading for the Coliseum. Battling always got out a lot of his frustrations that he otherwise would have just bottled up. He knew Leon and Yuffie were going as well. He'd always wanted to duel with Leon anyways. Who was he kidding? Frustrations aside, he just wanted an excuse to fight Leon. To see the brunette do his little 'dance of death' or whatever it was.   
  
Cloud snickered at the thought. He was not in any way mocking Leon, but the thought was still amusing. Aeris had once told him that Leon considered fighting a dance. Cloud could understand that completely, but he still couldn't stop the images of Leon dancing from invading his brain. 

Cloud would bet a million gil that Leon would be cute dancing. Although, he'd never say the words "Leon" and "cute" together out loud in a sentence. That was just _begging_ for death and Cloud didn't care to die just yet. 

He hoped tomorrow would help loosen Leon up. Maybe fighting had the same effect on him that it did Cloud.   
  
Maybe then Cloud could try to drag the truth out of Leon.   
  
He wasn't giving up that hope, as far-fetched as it was. 

  
**_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Leon stared out at the sky. He didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or scream.   
  
A kid.

The Keyblade had chosen a _kid_.

It was a thought that remained in Leon's head, refusing to allow him a moment of peace. 

It wasn't that Leon wasn't happy that there was finally a realistic hope for an end to the Heartless, it was just that it was a _kid_. 

  
A kid who would do what he had failed to.   
  
_"I have to find Riku."   
  
"Who's Riku? Your boyfriend?"   
  
_Sora had just blushed at Yuffie's not-so-subtle question. 

So, the boy wanted to save his boyfriend.   
  
_How sweet. _

Leon sighed to himself. Sora probably _would_ save this Riku. After all, he had the Keyblade. With the Keyblade, _anything_ was possible.   
  
So the kid would do what he had failed to do. 

  
That's what it was all about, really. Leon had failed to protect Seifer, to protect his friends... but Sora wouldn't fail. 

And he was just a _kid_.

How could a small child save the world when a grown man couldn't? For Leon, it was like kicking him while he was down. 

  
_"Yes. I failed to save them... so let's just go and have a kid who hasn't even hit puberty yet succeed." _

Leon bit his lip at the thought. He knew he shouldn't be so angry and so bitter with Sora. Sora had not asked for any of this to happen. It wasn't Sora's fault that Leon's friends had vanished.   
  
It was Leon's. 

He sighed to himself and lowered his head into his hands. It was a guilt that he would never be able to cast aside. It was something he'd carry with him until the day he died.   
  
Perhaps longer. 

  
**_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_**

"You look like you've had a rough night."   
  
Cloud looked up at Yuffie in half annoyance. The dark-haired girl leaned over him, smiling broadly.   
  
"Something go wrong?"   
  
"Go away, Yuffie."   
  
"Aw, turning into Leon now?" She sat down beside him and playfully poked him in the ribs. "C'mon now, tell Auntie Yuffie what's wrong."   
  
Cloud sighed. He knew there was no getting rid of the girl. When she wanted to know something, she was more persistent than the Heartless.

"I just had to listen to Leon complain about Sora having the Keyblade... I mean... what's wrong with him anyways?"   
  
Yuffie thought about this for a moment. To her, it was pretty obvious what was wrong, but she knew Leon wouldn't care for her telling anyone. Not that _Leon_ had told her anything. Yuffie just happened to be a perceptive person. Either that, or a lot of other people were just _blind_.

"Well... how do _you_ feel about Sora?"   
  
Cloud shot her a confused look, not understanding what that question had to do with anything. He shrugged, "I don't know. Never met the boy. Although, if he's going to destroy the Heartless, more power to him."   
  
Yuffie cocked her head to one side. "You aren't feeling the least bit insecure about him?"   
  
Cloud snickered slightly. "Why in the hell would I feel insecure about a kid?"   
  
Yuffie shrugged. "Because he's exactly that. A _kid_. A kid who just might save the worlds. Something the rest of us _failed _to do."   
  
Yuffie shot Cloud one last careful glance and decided it was time to leave. Let him draw his own conclusions from that.   
  
Cloud watched silently as she left the room. What had she meant by that? Why on earth would he be insecure about a kid? Seemed to him like it was getting upset over nothing. Saving the worlds was saving the worlds. As long as it was done, he didn't care. Besides, playing the hero was never something Cloud enjoyed. 

"Wha... wait a minute... Yuffie?" Cloud jumped up from his seat. _Of course._ Yuffie hadn't asked that question for _him_, but for _Leon_. It was her way of letting him know what was bothering the brunette without actually _telling_ him.   
  
"Yuffie, where'd you go?" Cloud walked into the hallways, looking around for her. 

  
What else did she know about the mysterious gunblader?  
  
-

-

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Author's Notes: _Ack! Sorry it took so long to update. My muses have run away from me! I promise to update sooner next time! Well, at least, I hope to... thanks for all the reviews, though! ^_^_


	3. Nightmares and Propositions

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Notes: **_Ahhhh! I completely forgot about Hades!! Thank you for reminding me, Shattered Diamond! It took some thinking, but I think I've figured out how to work that. o.0 Thanks for all of the reviews and sorry it took so long to update! My muses have wanted FFX2 stories. o.0 Oh... by the way... we're pretending that Selphie, Tidus and Wakka aren't the same ones from the game.... just to clear up any confusion..._**   
  
  
**_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Nightmares and Propositions

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"Hey! Where ya goin'?"   
  
The voice made Leon jump.   
  
"Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you.... I've just had a rough day.... fuckin' Chicken wouldn't shut his mouth, Quistis kept trying to tell us both what to do... it was just hell..."   
  
Leon wanted to scream. The ever-present hole in his stomach, the one that seemed to drain everything away and devour him, surfaced. He was washed in despair. He didn't want to do this again. He was already walking a thin line, he wasn't sure if he could handle this right now. If he had something with him, he would have killed himself right there. Just grabbed a knife and plunged it right into his heart. He doubted the dream would let him, though. No, the dream _wanted_ him to suffer, to hurt, to remember. 

Leon _knew_ he was going insane. Now he was talking about a _dream_ wanting to hurt him.   
  
"Please, come back in... it's late and it's cold out here... come back to bed with me..." The voice was soft, pleading. 

"Not again..." Leon whispered hoarsely. But yes, here it was... again.

"Oh, come on Squall, quit being a dick! I said I was sorry, okay?!"   
  
Leon gritted his teeth, feeling the bile rise up in his throat. It was always the same... he could never prevent it... try and try, to no avail...

"Squall, I'm telling you-...... what the fuck?" 

Leon was running before he was even aware of it. He knew what was coming. What was always coming. Over and over again, it was _haunting_ him. He knew before long, the screams and cries would start. The clashing of metal as weapons hit the floor. The sickening thud as bodies fell mere moments later. Then the terrible darkness. The darkness that swallowed everything and everyone, leaving only him behind. Always him. Why did it have to be _him_?! Why couldn't the darkness have 'spared' someone else?! Then again, on second thought, he wouldn't have wished this on anyone else. 

Leon ran and ran until his sides ached, until his chest felt like it would explode from lack of oxygen, until he could run no more. He fell to the ground, panting. He couldn't tell if it were tears streaking his face or sweat. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. 

"No matter how far you run, no matter how hard you try, you're still going to fail."   
  
Leon's head jerked upward at the voice. He felt his heart wrench as he meet cold, dead, emerald eyes. Eyes that used to sparkle with happiness, narrow with anger. Eyes that used to glaze over with passion. Now they were dull, lifeless. Leon never wanted to see _those_ eyes again. 

"Time and time again, they will kill us. But they'll spare you... they'll let _you_ live..." 

Leon lowered his head into his hands. "I... I didn't want to live..."   
  
A hand gently cupped his chin, lifting him up until once again he was staring into those dead orbs. "But... you did, Squall..." 

"I tried to protect you." He whispered hoarsely.   
  
There was only a flicker of emotion in the dead eyes before they resumed their hollowness. "And you failed."   
  
Leon would have loved nothing more than death at that moment. His mouth could form no words, which was okay, because he didn't know what to say other than repeated apologies and wishes. 

"But it's okay." He continued, letting go of Leon and raising his arms to the sky. "I'm with the darkness now. You should come sometime, Squall!" His voice grew in shrillness, louder and louder, pounding into Leon's head. "It's so lovely down here! There's nothing but death and more death! We all suffer!"   
  
Suddenly Leon felt arms grabbing him, pulling him close. "It's okay... you're just dreaming... wake up, Leon..." 

Leon's eyes fluttered open. He looked wildly around the room, his gaze landing on the man who held him. Cloud.   
  
Leon quickly pulled away from the younger blonde and sat up, wiping at his face, which he knew was tear-stained. "What do you want?" He whispered, trying to sound cold, but not managing to pull it off.   
  
"I heard you crying." Cloud said simply. 

"Well, I'm fine now. You can leave."   
  
"What happened?" He asked, not moving.   
  
"I. Said. You. Can. Leave. Now." Leon replied through gritted teeth. He didn't want Cloud here with him. The only person he wanted here was the person he had failed the most. 

"But, Leon... I..."   
  
"Go."   
  
Leon heard Cloud sigh, stand up, and then walk away. He sighed in relief when he heard the door close. He lied back down on his bed, covering his face with his hands. He took even, steady breaths to calm himself.   
  
Leon always had the same dream. It never varied. Leon tried to say something different, to do something different, to save them all, but it never worked. He ended up saying the same lines, hearing the same things, watching the same scenes. It was madness. Complete and utter madness. 

He was too afraid to close his eyes. He knew the images of Seifer would be there if he did. They always were. It wasn't that Leon minded seeing Seifer in his mind, as it strangely brought him little comfort, it was those eyes. Those dead, vacant eyes. They scared Leon more than anything else did. More than the darkness, more than the Heartless, more than life itself. Seifer Almasy was not meant to have dead eyes. Seifer was a vibrant, passionate person. He was all feelings, emotions. To see him so... lifeless... was a horror Leon had never wanted to know. 

Leon sighed and turned on his side, clutching his pillow. It was going to be another night without rest. 

**__**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cloud stared at the wall, not really sure what to think. He had woken up because he had heard Leon scream. So he had went to him. After knocking on the door several times and receiving no response, Cloud had taken it upon himself to open the door and walk right in. Sure, Leon might have killed him, but oh well. At least he had tried. 

He had been surprised to find Leon asleep, the sheets twisted around him, a look of abject horror on his face. After a few brief seconds, Cloud had realised Leon had been having a nightmare. And from the looks of it, it had been one hell of a nightmare. 

He had went to Leon and held him as the older man tossed and turned, whimpering in his sleep. Cloud hadn't been sure when Leon had started sobbing, but he knew his shirt was soaked from the never-ending tears. It had pained Cloud to see him in such agony. Cloud couldn't decide if he was more angry or scared by Leon's actions. Scared because he had never seen Leon such a mess, never knew Leon to look so... small and vulnerable... Angry because Leon _wasn't_ supposed to be like this. He was a strong man, albeit distant and cold, but strong nonetheless. That whimpering, crying mess he had encountered in his room was just _not_ Leon. And Cloud was angry at whoever or whatever had caused him to turn that way.  
  
Cloud didn't know how long had passed when Leon suddenly let out a scream. It was one of those blood-curling screams, loud enough to physically shake Cloud, loud enough to wake the dead. Cloud had been surprised that when no one had come running to see what was wrong.   


After a few moments, when he had recovered from the shock of hearing Leon scream like that, he had figured out that it had been a _name _that Leon had screamed out.   
  
_SEIFER!!!!_

Cloud didn't know who this Seifer was, but Cloud knew enough to know that it was probably the reason Leon hurt so much. Maybe Seifer was Leon's best friend, a family member... or maybe... whoever he was, he was obviously very important to Leon... and he had obviously died at the hands of the Heartless.

Cloud sighed. He didn't know what to do, how to help. If could have raised the dead, he would have, just to see Leon happy again... Cloud hadn't encountered such blatant pain in quite a while. The last time he had seen that look was when he had... wait a minute...

Raise.....

Raise the dead......

...........

.....the dead.....

Raise.

The. 

Dead. 

...........

Cloud wanted to jump up and shout, "YES!" Of course! Raise the dead! The tournament tomorrow! Cloud knew Hades was _bound_ to be present and Hades was the ruler of the dead. If anyone could restore life to the dead, it would be him. 

Maybe it wasn't the best plan in the world, but it was worth a shot. Tomorrow, at the tournament, Cloud would approach Hades and seek out his help. He'd have to be careful, though. A creature like Hades could not be trusted- at all.

Cloud was too excited to sleep. Finally, he'd found a way to help Leon. There would be no more nights of nightmares and tears. No more harsh words or empty gazes. Yes, if this worked out, then _everything_ would be okay. Or, at least, Cloud hoped it would.

Cloud glanced at his clock, willing time to move faster. 'Come on, come on, _come on_...' 

**__**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You competing in the tournament today?" Leon asked evenly. 

Sora nodded. "Yup!" 

"Good luck." He said, pushing himself off of the wall and looking down at the kid.   
  
"Yeah, you too." 

Leon began to walk away.   
  
"Hey! Who are you partnering with?"   
  
Leon stopped. "Yuffie." 

"That's cool! But you know we're gonna beat you, right?" 

He rolled his eyes at Sora's obvious teasing. "I doubt that."   
  
"You'll see!"   
  
Sora watched as Leon walked away. That man was just _cold_. Sora got the distinct feeling that Leon didn't like him, although he wasn't sure why. 

Sora sighed to himself and leaned back against the wall. The tournament would begin soon and Sora could hardly wait. He hoped against hope that Riku would be there. His only wish was that he would find Riku- alive and well. So far, though, he had had no luck. That didn't mean he would give up, though. Riku wouldn't give up on him.

Sora began to wonder who else would be in the tournament today. He knew Cloud and Yuffie would be there... but who else? Maybe Kairi had enrolled, but he knew that was unlikely. Fighting wasn't Kairi's thing. Maybe she'd come to watch, though. Finding Kairi would be wonderful, she was one of his best friends and all, but he wanted to find Riku most of all. And a tournament was just Riku's kind of thing. So, maybe...

**__**

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"Let me get this straight... you want me, to help you? What are you going to do for me?"   
  
Cloud looked up the blue, fiery man, keeping his gaze calm and even. "What do you want me to do?"   
  
Hades tilted his head to the side, considering this for a moment. 'Hm... the kid _is_ well built... I'm sure he could get rid of Hercules for me... then, afterwards, I could just _kill_ him and everything'd be fine...' "Okay, kid. You got yourself a deal. Just do one thing for me."   
  
"Yes?"   
  
"I want you to enter the tournament and kill Hercules."   
  
Cloud wanted to question him, but thought better of it. Questions might make him change his mind, and then the plan would never work. "Okay."   
  
Hades smiled. "Kid, you're not going to regret this."   
  
Somehow or another, Cloud doubted that. He was sure the Great King of the Underworld would try to dupe him somehow, but he wouldn't let him. He'd be on his guard twenty-four seven. No one was going to screw this up now.   
  
"Hey, guys!! Get ready, the tournaments starting!" 

"Good luck!" Hades called, walking away into the shadows. 

Cloud sighed to himself. He didn't suppose this would be easy at all.... 

**__**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Alright, Leon! Let's get 'em!"   
  
Yuffie's energetic voice was enough to make Leon sick. This was not a pleasant journey, like she was acting. This was a test of strength, endurance, of power. Leon was determined to win the tournament. He would prove to everyone that he was not some weak fool.   
  
Leon drew his weapon, _Hyperion_, and got in stance to fight.   
  
Yuffie looked over at Leon, his face blank, his eyes cold. She wanted to roll her eyes and tell him, "Hey, relax! It's only a game!" but she knew it _wasn't_ just a game to him. No, for Leon, this was a test. She knew Leon felt like he had to prove he wasn't the weak fool that _he_ thought he was. No one else would ever consider Leon weak. Leon was one _hell_ of a fighter, not many could stand against him. But, Leon thought otherwise. 'I failed to protect my people, my loved ones, so I must be weak, blah, blah, blah.' That kind of logic did not bode well with Yuffie. It was pure crap to her. She had failed to protect her friends as well, but at least she had the good sense to realise it wasn't _her_ fault. She had done all she could. The Heartless were just too great in number. It was like trying to push a ten thousand-ton rock uphill. Don't care who you are, it just ain't happening.   
  
Now, if only she could get _Leon_ to realise that. 

-

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Author's Notes: **_Well? Good? Bad? Ugly? Again, if you notice any grammar mistakes/spelling mistakes, don't hesitate to let me know.... one of these days I SWEAR my beta will return from the great wilderness... o.0 And I promise the next chapter will be longer!_**


	4. Betrayals and Disappointments

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Author's Notes: **_Whee, new chapter! Hope you enjoy._**

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Betrayals and Disappointments

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Sora wanted to turn around to the old goat and stick out his tongue. They had won the match, even though Phil had told them they didn't stand a chance. However, sticking out your tongue and going "Nyah, nyah, nyah!" wouldn't have been mature at all... not that Sora cared about maturity. But he didn't want to give Phil another reason to declare them 'non-heroes'.

"You're no heroes yet, but you ain't doing bad. Lucky you came to me for coaching."   
  
Sora started to roll his eyes, but a tall blonde man walked by them, the edge of his cape brushing against Sora. Sora's gaze followed the man; there was something... _powerful_ about him. 

"Something tells me he'll be a tough one to beat. Who knows, maybe you'll end up facing him."   
  
Sora shuddered slightly. That man looked like he could and would destroy anything in his path; facing him wouldn't be fun at all. 

But, if he had to beat him to see Riku, then he would. Even if it took everything Sora had, nothing would stop him. He wouldn't let it.

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Cloud stared out at the young boy, who was smiling broadly at his victory.   
  
"That little punk is your next opponent, okay? Now, don't blow it. Just take him out."  
  
Cloud raised his eyebrows at Hades' tone. Was he... afraid? "The great god of the Underworld is afraid of a kid? Sorry, but my contract says-"  
  
Hades threw up his hands, interrupting him. "I know! You think I don't know? I wrote the contract! I know it says you're only required to kill Hercules in this tournament. But you've gotta fight that kid to get to him. Come on. Hey, it's like that old goat says, 'Rule 11: It's all just a game, so let loose and have fun with it!' I mean, a casualty or two along the way is no big deal, right?"

Cloud closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Sora was just a _kid_. But... it was the only way he could... He didn't even want to think about it anymore. He turned around and walked away, not saying a word. 

Hades watched Cloud. "Geez. Stiffer than the stiffs back home. Still, suckers like him are hard to come by..."

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"Hey, Cloud's fighting Sora... wanna go watch?"   
  
Leon couldn't care less about who was fighting. 

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!"   
  
Leon frowned slightly as Yuffie jumped in front of him, putting her face mere inches away from his. "Go away."   
  
"But, don't you wanna watch?!"   
  
"No."   
  
"Hmph." She sat back down, frustrated. Leon was still being a cold ass, no matter what she did to try to get him involved. He should have been at least a _little_ bit happy; hell, they had won the tournament they had entered. Wasn't that why he had come here? To prove himself?   
  
"So... who'd ya think will win?"   
  
Leon shot her a blank look.   
  
Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Between Cloud and Sora."   
  
"...."   
  
"Well, since you decided to give me _your_ lovely opinion, I'll give you mine. I think Sora's going to win."  
  
"...Why?"   
  
Yuffie shrugged. "Because he's so freakin' little! He could just like, bite Cloud in the knees repeatedly, and Cloud could never reach him! Because Sora's so short!"

Leon rolled his eyes and sighed. 

"Get everyone out of the arena NOW!"   
  
The sudden shout had both Leon and Yuffie up on their feet in seconds. They raced into the lobby, their weapons drawn.   
  
"What's going on?!" Yuffie shouted. 

Phil turned around to both of them. "Cereberus is in there!"   
  
"Hades must have let him loose." Hercules muttered from his position on the floor, where he was bent over somebody.   
  
"Is he in there... alone?"   
  
Phil shook his head, "No, those stupid kids decided to go in there and fight him." 

Yuffie turned towards Leon. "Shouldn't we go help them?!"

Leon put Hyperion away and rubbed his temples in annoyance. "No, they can handle it."   
  
"But, I-"  
  
"I said no."   
  
Yuffie's shoulders sunk. "Fine... asshole." 

"Is he going to be okay?" Phil asked Hercules.   
  
Hercules looked up at him, a dark look in his eye. "Should be. His wounds are pretty bad, though, so he'll need a steady supply of potions."   
  
"Who ya got there?...... Cloud?!"   
  
Leon lifted his head up in surprise.   
  
"Is Cloud okay?! What happened?!"   
  
"I told ya, Cereberus is in the arena. He just happened to show up while Cloud had his back turned." Phil said flatly.   
  
"But, is he alright? I mean, I know Hercules just said he should be alright, but he looks pretty bad to me... does he need some cure magic?"  
  
Leon leaned over and looked at Cloud's broken form. He felt a small twinge of something in his stomach, but he wasn't sure what it was. He didn't really care, either. "He'll be fine." Leon said evenly. Cloud wasn't the type to just up and die because of a monster attack. Cloud was a survivor and always had been. He would be fine, and Leon was sure of it. 

"Hm... he still looks pretty bad to me, though..." 

  
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Cloud sat on the doorstep, wanting to hit both himself, for being so stupid, and Hades, for being so... well, _evil_. 

He had woken up about fifteen minutes after the attack. Hercules had taken the time to heal him, so he was only a tad bit sore. Hercules had told him to take a potion every hour for the next day or so anyways, just to be safe. 

Physically, Cloud felt fine. Now, mentally...

"Hey, are you alright?"   
  
Cloud's head flew upwards at the voice. It was the boy from earlier; the one who had beaten him. "Yeah." He said evenly, not wanting to get into it. 

"So, why did you go along with him, anyway?" 

Cloud frowned slightly. Now he could understand why Leon didn't like the boy; he asked too many questions for his own good. But, he _had_ tried to kill the boy, so he just might have owed him an explanation. He sighed. "I'm looking for someone. Hades promised to help. I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired." He stood up. All he wanted to do for the next million years was sleep. Just crawl under his blankets and never return. "I fell into darkness, and couldn't find the light."   
  
"You'll find it." Sora said softly, offering the older man a sad smile. "I'm searching too."   
  
Cloud felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy. "For your light? Don't lose sight of it." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a small white ball, handing it over to the Keybearer. 

"How about a rematch sometime? Fair and square, no dark powers involved."   
  
"I think I'll pass." He said evenly. 

  
Sora nodded understandingly. 

  
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Sora leaned against the window and sighed to himself. He hadn't found Riku. He had hoped so much that he would have, but... 

"Hey! No sad faces!" Donald squawked from the drivers' seat of the Gummi ship.   
  
Sora looked down at the ground. "Yeah, yeah..." 

"Don't worry, ah-huh, I'm sure we'll find yer friends!"   
  
Sora looked out of the window, into space. He hoped Goofy was right, but he couldn't ignore the bad feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.   
  
Whoever Cloud was looking for, Sora hoped that he found them. Sora knew the pain of wanting and didn't want anyone else to be cursed with it ever again.   
  
"Say, do you think King Mickey is down there?" Goofy asked excitedly, pointing at a new world.   
  
Sora ripped himself from his thoughts and looked down at the green paradise. Maybe Riku would be there... 

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"Hey!"   
  
Cloud opened his eyes and lifted his head wearily. "Hey."   
  
Yuffie sat down beside him. "You feelin' alright?"   
  
Cloud nodded, closing his eyes again.   
  
"That's good. We was worried 'bout ya!"   
  
Cloud doubted that. Not that _Yuffie_ had been worried, but that _Leon_ had.   
  
"You should always be on you guard." 

Cloud snorted. Figures Leon would say something like that.   
  
"Oh, come on, Leon! Cloud had no way of knowing that monster would appear!"   
  
"He should have been prepared." Leon replied flatly. 

Yuffie rolled her eyes. 

"Hey... I'm pretty tired, so..."   
  
"Right, right. We'll just go now and let you get your rest!" 

Cloud listened as the pair exited his room. Only once they were gone did he open his eyes again. He didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or cry. He had almost gotten killed trying to bring that Seifer guy back for Leon, and Leon was still as cold as ever. Of course, Leon didn't know that Cloud had been trying to help him. Hell, if Leon had known, he probably would have looked at him coolly and said something like, "I don't need your help." 

Cloud sighed. Just because he had failed this time, didn't mean he wouldn't try again. But... not until his sides stopped hurting. Until then, he just wanted to sleep.   
  
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Author's Notes:_ Thanks for all the reviews guys! ^___^ I'm glad everyone likes this story so much. ^_~ For a few notes: _

Nataku: I know Leon doesn't seem like the type to cry, EVER, but I wanted to emphasize exactly how much Seifer meant to him, and how much it still hurts him. At least, that's my goal anyways!

TRT14: Of course Sephy will show up! Just not for a couple of chapters, since in the game Phil said he had to 'clean up' and you couldn't fight for a while. Plus, I want to wait until Leon starts feeling stuff for Cloud (well, consciously anyways) before the almighty Sephiroth shows up. ^_^ And yes! Riku/Sora! They're the minor pairing in this story, but hopefully you'll see them (or at least Sora, for now) at least once a chapter! ^_^ 

Okay, if you notice any grammar/spelling mistakes, let me know! My beta HAS returned, but I told TRT14 I'd have this chapter up by this morning. ^_~ (Sorry 'bout that! I slept all day. o.0) I do hope you enjoyed, though! Review and lemme know!


	5. Breaking Sometimes

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Breaking Sometimes

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Leon sighed to himself and shifted in his bed, unable to sleep. This time it was not because of the nightmares or Seifer. It was because of _Cloud_.

Leon felt a small wave of anger wash over him at the thought of the younger blonde. What had he been thinking? Why hadn't he ran from Cereberus, instead of staying there and almost getting himself killed? Was he that stupid, that naive? Hadn't he learned by now that there were things out there greater than him, things not to be messed with?  
  
More importantly, why did it matter? Why was Leon losing sleep over this? Why was it causing him such great shifts of emotions? It was _Cloud _they were talking about, for Hyne's sake. Sure, he was a friend and all, but that didn't matter to Leon. He wasn't _that_ dear of a friend. Admittedly, Leon was glad Cloud hadn't been seriously injured, but if Cloud wanted to go and almost get himself killed, what business was it of his? 

'I'm just not sleeping enough...' He thought wearily to himself. 'Don't people get all emotional when they haven't slept enough? I just need to get some rest... I'm sure I will be fine in the morning...' 

He wouldn't let it bother him that, while being the only explanation he could come up with, it just didn't seem to fit. 

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Yuffie had been checking on the sleeping man periodically for the past seven hours. She used the excuse of making sure he was okay, but she knew that wasn't it. Something had happened in the Coliseum, she was sure of it. Cloud had seemed so let down and empty afterwards and Yuffie knew it hadn't been because he had gotten his ass kicked. No, Yuffie had seen Cloud get whipped several times, and he had always came bouncing back, better than ever. So, the only answer was, something was up. 

Now, if only she could figure out _what_...

She had watched him several times, hoping to get some kind of glimpse into his soul, into his thoughts. It was a futile attempt, but she tried anyways. It wasn't like she was going to get him to just _tell_ her about it. Oh no, Cloud Strife was not that kind of man. If Yuffie wanted answers, then she'd have to go behind his back and she knew it. Not that she had a problem going behind his back, or anyone else's for that matter. She was, after all, Yuffie, Master Ninja and Materia Thief extrodinaire. 

She let her mind replay what she knew had happened at the Coliseum. Cloud had fought Sora, Donald and Goofy, and had lost. Cereberus had appeared out of nowhere, nearly killing Cloud in the process, only to be killed by Sora a few moments later. 

Wait... 

Fought... 

Cloud had fought... 

Sora!!  
  
Sora had been there! If something had happened, Sora would have been sure to see it!

It was a long shot, but it was all she could come up with. A huge grin on her face, she set off to find the young Keybearer.

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Cloud's eyes opened slowly. He groaned to himself and turned over in his bed. He didn't want to be awake, but he kept waking up. He knew it was about time he got up and got on with life, but he was still so damned tired... 

His eyes closed again a second later. He always spent his awake time trying to think of a new way to help Leon, but he was tired of it. He was tired of thinking of the sulky brunette, tired of seeing his disapproving glare every time he came into Cloud's room, as rarely as that was. 

All he wanted to do for now was sleep.

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"Okay, so we'll stock up on what we need and meet back here in ten minutes." Sora looked at his companions, who nodded quickly and then ran off to do whatever it was that they wanted or had to do. 

Sora shook his head, smiling slightly, and started off towards the Item shop. They were running dangerously low on Potions and Ethers, simply because Donald and Goofy seemed to have a problem with using them if a monster so much as looked at them or if they even thought about using a spell or technique. 

Venturing into the Jungle hadn't been entirely useless, as far as Sora was concerned. Sure, he didn't find Riku or Kairi, but he had made some new friends and helped some people out. For a change, he felt good about himself. He couldn't wait until he could find Riku and tell him all about his adventures. He was pretty certain that Riku would be impressed, maybe even in awe. 

Sometimes, Sora felt like a child next to Riku. It was a feeling that he had never shared with anyone, including the silver-haired youth in question. Riku had always been the one with the ambitions, the dreams and the hopes. Sora had merely wanted to go where ever Riku went. 

But, now, there he was, having great adventures, meeting a ton of people, battling monsters... yes, he was sure of it. Riku would be undoubtedly proud of him.

Sora grinned to himself and raised his hands behind his head. Nothing could go wrong now. He'd find Riku, and then he'd find Kairi and-

"Hey, Sora!" 

Sora fell backwards in surprise. Yuffie looked down at him and laughed. "Didn't scare ya, did I?" Her eyes were lit up with playfulness. 

Sora rubbed the back of his head and stood up, blushing slightly. He had been so lost in his daydream, he hadn't even noticed her standing right in front of him. "How long have you been standing there?"   
  
Yuffie shrugged. "A couple of minutes." She grinned. "You looked so happy, I didn't wanna interrupt you."   
  
Sora blushed again. "Heh." 

"Speaking of, why are you so happy?"   
  
Sora shrugged and looked at the ground. He liked Yuffie and he trusted her, but that wasn't exactly something he'd want to talk to _anyone_ about. 

Yuffie seemed to sense this, as she waved her hand. "Ahhh, nevermind. I've got something I want to ask you about anyways."   
  
Sora raised an eyebrow curiously. "What?"   
  
"Umm..." Yuffie looked down at the ground, moving the dirt around with her foot. "Did... did something happen at the tournament that Cloud hasn't told us about? Or did he say something?"   
  
Sora's eyes widened in surprise. He scratched the back of his neck, going over the events in his mind. Nothing unusual had happened when Cereberus had attacked, but Sora _had_ ran into the blonde afterwards. "He said something about... trying to use the forces of darkness, but it backfiring on him... he was..." 

__

"You'll find it... I'm searching too..."   
  
"For your light? Don't lose sight of it." 

"He was looking for someone..." Sora said softly. "For his light..." 

Yuffie's eyes lit up with surprise. "For his... light?" she tilted her head to the side, considering what Sora had said. Yuffie knew Cloud used to have a relationship with Aeris, and that they still cared for each other, but Cloud knew where Aeris was, so it couldn't be her. 

Yuffie bit her lip, trying to think if Cloud had ever been in another relationship, if he had ever had someone close to him, someone that he would be willing to work for the dark side for. 

She thought back over all of their friends. Tifa came to mind first. Tifa had always had an incredible crush on Cloud, but Cloud had always thought of her as a baby sister. Cloud might be looking for her... but... it just didn't seem right to Yuffie. If Cloud wanted to look for Tifa, then he wouldn't have been so secretive about it. He wouldn't have exactly come out and say what he was doing, but Yuffie didn't think he would go to such lengths for Tifa, no matter how much she meant to him. 

Yuffie shifted her weight to her other foot, still considering the options. Cid? No, they knew where Cid was, he was in Traverse Town, with them. Reeve? No, couldn't be Reeve, Cloud and him weren't that good of friends. Barrett? Naaahh. Nanaki? No, that wouldn't work.

"Do you have any idea what he was talking about?" Sora asked quietly, interrupting her thoughts. 

Yuffie looked up at him and shook her head. "I'm trying to think of who he could be talking about, but everyone I come up with just doesn't add up, unless..." Her voice trailed off. 

She wondered if he could be talking about Vincent? She knew him and Vincent were the best of friends, the silent type always went together well. Still... Yuffie couldn't see Cloud searching for Vincent. Cloud would know that Vincent could take care of himself, given that he was still out there somewhere. Sure, Cloud would keep an eye out for the black-haired man, but that would be the extent of it. 

"Someone important to him? Someone that meant the world to Cloud?" 

Yuffie didn't reply, instead she continued to go over in her mind everyone they had known. Every name she came to she could easily mark off, until... 

Sora looked at Yuffie in concern when she gasped. "What is it?" He asked nervously. 

Yuffie felt both stupid and horrified... Cloud was... his light... after everything, he still... she should have known. "It's Sephiroth." She whispered, the colour slowly draining from her face. "He's searching for Sephiroth." 

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"Are you going to stay in bed forever and pout?" 

Cloud opened his eyes lazily, a small rush of anger flowing through him at being so rudely woken up. 

Leon stood in his doorway, his back resting against the wooden frame. His face was as serious as ever, his gaze still cold and stony. 

"You have to get up some time, you know."   
  
"I'll get up when I feel like it..." Cloud mumbled, covering his head with his pillow. 

He heard Leon move into the room. "So you got your ass beat. Is that a good reason to just stay in here all the time?"  
  
Cloud lifted the pillow up and glared at Leon. "What do you care?" He shot back, without thinking. 

Leon's eyes widened slightly. An unnamed emotion passed through his eyes, gone before Cloud could even begin to wonder about it. "I'm just worried about destroying the Heartless. You'll be useless if all you plan on doing is staying in bed like some whiny brat just because a kid had to save your ass." He shrugged slightly.   
  
Cloud narrowed his eyes and looked down at his bed. Leon just had everything figured out, he thought bitterly. "..." 'I could say the same thing about you, Leon.'

"Are you getting up or not?" Leon asked impatiently after a few moments. 

"No." Cloud replied, closing his eyes, willing Leon to just leave him alone. 

A few seconds later, Cloud got his wish. Leon walked out of the room, frustrated with both Cloud, for being such a child and himself, for trying to get him out of his bed in the first place. After all, what did he care if Cloud wanted to waste away and do nothing? 

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"I can give you life again." The voice was merely an echo, bouncing off of the darkened walls. 

A silver-haired man lifted his head, his green eyes blazing. "How?" It was all he had to say. 

"You don't need to know how. Just that I can do it." The nameless voice replied. 

"And what do I have to do for you in return?" His voice was sharp and bitter. 

"Just... enter yourself in the upcoming tournament in the Coliseum. And, if you happen to run into the Keybearer, kill him." 

A silver eyebrow shot up. "That's it?" His voice showed his disbelief. How could he be given life under such easy circumstances, after everything that had happened?  
  
"Yes." 

He didn't know what to say. 

"Will you do it or not?"   
  
"Yes." His response was without hesitation. He couldn't pass up a chance like this, not in a million years. 

"Good." The voice faded away, leaving the silver-haired man alone. 

  
He smiled softly in the darkness. A tournament in the Coliseum... he knew Cloud would have to be there, the boy had never been able to resist a challenge. 

  
In time, everything would be alright again. 

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Author's Notes: Oh, joy! An update from me! About damn time, no? ^^

See, Ocean-eyed Songstress? I told ya Sephy'd be in it at some point or another. ^^ You won't see him really active for a while, though. And yes, of course, there will have to be competition! xD  
  
I know this chapter was kind of short and didn't have much of Leon or Cloud in it, but I felt it necessary for plot development. Poor Leon doesn't know what to do with himself and Yuffie has everything wrong. (Surprise, surprise. ^^) 

Sorry for such the long wait, I hope you liked it, though! Give me some nice thoughts to motivate me to write some more, guys! ^^

Also, many thanks for all of the reviews! I really appreciate it and am glad you guys like this so far. ^^ 

Please note, this chapter has not made it to my beta-reader, so if you find any grammar/spelling errors, you know what to do. 


	6. Cruel Assumptions

**Author's Notes:** Been a while since I updated this... ::Looks down:: Gomen, gomen. Unfortunately, I write as my muses please and they usually only want to write a little bit at a time. Please leave me some reviews!!! (Thanks for all the wonderful reviews you've given already. ) Now... _ahem_... onto the story.

**Chapter Six - Cruel Assumptions**

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"Who's Sephiroth?" Sora asked, his brows furrowed in confusion at Yuffie's obvious horror.

"Who's Sephiroth? Who's _Sephiroth_?!" She shrieked, beginning to pace back and forth. "He's only the madman who tried to destroy the world and the rest of us along with it. Cloud's _arch nemesis_. He's fucking crazy! He killed so many people, hell, he _destroyed_ Cloud's hometown! What is he thinking!? Searching after Sephiroth after everything that man did?!?!" Yuffie cried, throwing her hands up into the air. "Cloud's lost it! He's fucking _lost it_!"  
  
Sora raised both of his eyebrows. "Umm... why... why would someone like that be Clouds' light?"  
  
Yuffie stopped in her pacing and mutterings and shot Sora a look that plainly said 'Are you stupid?' before she remembered he didn't know, he hadn't been there. She sighed, running her fingers through her inky black hair. "Sephiroth didn't always used to be the bad guy. In fact, he was a war hero. Everyone looked up to him. Boys wanted to be him, girls wanted to be with him, all that fun rot." The ninja rubbed at her temples absently. "Look, it's a really long story. Sephiroth basically had the nervous breakdown from _hell_ and went insane." She shuddered, remembering the events that had taken place. "Cloud was in love with Sephiroth before it all happened, though. He _knew_ the real Sephiroth, not the crazy madman the rest of us knew. He must not have..." She sighed and began pacing again. "He must not have given up on him like we all thought he did. But how can he still have feelings for that man?! He. Nearly. Destroyed. Us. All...!!!!"

Sora continued watching the girl silently, unsure of what to say in response to that.

"But he's friggin' _crazy_!" Yuffie cried again, muttering to herself before stopping and looking at Sora. "We've got to help him!"  
  
"Help who do what?"

"_Cloud_!" She said in exasperation. "We've got to help _Cloud_! He can't... he can't... he can't just go after him! He can't... Sephiroth's _dead_! He's **dead**! What if Cloud's trying to get Sephiroth resurrected or something?! We can't let that happen! Aerith would just _die_!!" The ninja suddenly paused, furrowing her brows. "..._again_! But that's not the point! We must get Cloud to realise this is insane before he does something _incredibly_ stupid and, trust me, Cloud is prone to do _very_ stupid things sometimes!"

"Die... _again_?" Sora echoed, looking at the girl in confusion.

"Yes, yes, die _again_." She said, waving her hands dismissively. "Long story there, too. Summary is: She was praying, Sephiroth didn't like it so he jumped down, stabbed her right through her stomach, even _smiled_ about it!, while we stood there looking like idiots and let that damned, ever-so-precious _materia_ sink to the bottom of the freakin' lake!" Yuffie paused again, looking thoughtful. "I wanted that materia too." She frowned. "I tried to get it, afterwards. Threw myself right into the lake." Her frown deepened. "Vincent dragged me out and said it wasn't appropriate. Something about our friend just dying and it being incredibly rude to be more concerned with materia than with our dead friend. Stupid ex-Turk bastard." Sora looked at her blankly at this. "What?!" Yuffie cried, throwing her hands out. "She was _dead_! Boohoo and all that stuff! Nothing we could do about that, but that materia..." Her voice trailed off as she frowned once more. "We could have gotten that baby..."

"Umm..." Sora rubbed the back of his neck nervously, taking a step away from the ninja.

"Hey!" She cried, grabbing Sora by his arm. "Just what do you think you're doing, mister?! We've gotta save Cloud!"

"...I've got to get back to... y'know... saving the worlds... and all that fun stuff..." Sora said nervously, suddenly overwhelmingly grateful that the Keyblade had chosen him.

Yuffie frowned again. "But what about Cloud?"  
  
"Er... Cloud's a big boy? He seems like he can take care of himself...?"  
  
"Alright, fine, go!" Yuffie cried, suddenly pushing Sora away. "I'll just have to save him on my own!!!"

"...Right... bye then!" Sora scampered off, away from the ninja who had begun to seriously scare him. 'I'm so glad I'm not Cloud...' Sora thought to himself before turning his mind back to the object at hand; finding Riku.

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'I feel so stupid.' Cloud thought for the millionth time, eyes glued to the ceiling as he absently counted the cracks in the plaster. 'What's wrong with me? Why does Leon's feelings mean so much to me? I don't know what it is... I just... I want him to be happy... I want him to open up, to smile at least _once_ a century... I want to know what his _laugh_ sounds likes... I feel like... like I won't be happy unless he is... I need him to be happy...'

Cloud frowned, biting his lip. 'It shouldn't matter. It shouldn't bother me at all. I tried, out of the goodness of my heart, to make Leon happy in the only way I could think of, but it failed. _I_ failed. Not the first time I've failed, either. I also failed in making _him_ happy...'

The blonde winced. Even though it had been years since he had killed the one he loved, he still couldn't bring himself to say _his_ name. The thought alone hurt too much. Cloud knew he had failed him, and that thought nearly killed him every time he thought about it. 'But... that's not fair, I know that's not fair... I did everything I could, everything I could think of I tried... but I... I still feel like... like somehow I didn't do _enough_... like there was something more I could have done to keep him sane, to keep him happy... fuck, to keep him _alive_... but I... I had no qualms in killing him, did I? I didn't even hesitate... I had... I had convinced myself that he was nothing more than the enemy, that he wasn't the man I loved... but he was, wasn't he? In the end, when it all came down to it, he _was_ the man I loved... he looked so... so confused, so sad and remorseful... I could have... _I could have stopped!_ ... But, I just killed him. I killed him and didn't think twice about it until some time later...'

Cloud shook his head. 'I got completely off track there... I need to let the past go already, like Yuffie says... there's nothing I can do about it _now_ and, besides, Leon has nothing to do with the past or with _him_ or anything else... he's in a class all his own... the super extreme class of confusion...' The blonde sighed to himself again, shifting in the bed until he was on his side. He proceeded to curl up into a ball tightly, hugging his knees to his chest. 'I just wish... I wish I knew what was going on... with me, with him... it's all so damn confusing sometimes! Especially when Leon won't say more to me than 'Whatever' or 'Tell it to a wall'... He makes this so hard... and, the sad thing is, I don't even think he knows he's doing it... he's probably confused about this whole situation, about me... ha, yeah, right... like Leon thinks about me... I'm sure _he'd_ be revived before that happened...' Cloud sighed again. It seemed all he could do, and all he had been doing, was running in circles. He would have given his life to know the way out of the maze at any time. It was really beginning to drive him mad.

'I should probably get up...' He thought to himself, even as his eyes closed. 'Or, maybe... maybe I'll just get up after I rest for a bit... yes, rest, that's what I need...'

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"Darkness, darkness, I love darkness!" The amber-eyed man sang quietly to himself, watching the Keybearer struggle against the Heartless in Maleficents' sphere. He grinned wickedly as the Keybearers' companions fell down, unconscious. "Yes, my pretties, take them all out!!!"

"What are you doing?"

Ansem whirled around, the sphere immediately going black as he looked at Maleficent blankly. "Pardon?"  
  
"Were you just singing to yourself?" Maleficent asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I certainly wasn't." Ansem said coldly, his eyes narrowing. "Don't you have something better to do, witch?"

Maleficent laughed. "Me? Nonsense. Everything is going according to plans."  
  
"Hmph. Well, _I_ certainly have better things to do than sit here and converse with the likes of _you_." Ansem hissed, turning away and beginning to walk off.

"Going to see the boy again?" The witch asked, her voice dripping with amusement.

Ansem paused for a moment, his eyes flashing angrily. "I've better things to do than that, as well." He replied smoothly before walking off.

Maleficent laughed. "I'm sure you do, Ansem, I'm sure you do."

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'Well, I can either practice by myself, read or sleep.' Leon thought grimly as he looked around the empty living room, none of the ideas to his liking. 'Practising by myself isn't challenging, I don't feel like reading and I'm not really tired.' The Gunblader sighed to himself, running his fingers through his hair. He was going to go out of his mind with boredom.

'Aerith went to the store... Cid is running the shop... Yuffie is Hyne knows, Hyne cares where and Cloud is still holed up in his room...' Leon frowned as he thought about the stubborn blonde. 'Well, at least now it makes sense as to why I miss him. I just miss the thrill of training and, whether or not I want to admit it, he's the best person to train with and definitely the only one to give a real challenge around here.'

Still, it was bothering Leon that Cloud was still refusing to come out of his room. He couldn't personally understand it. A fit, he could understand. A few heated words and a sworn promise for revenge, he could also understand. But completely withdrawing after getting beaten? The mere thought of it was beyond him.

'That's just a cowards' way of thinking. Cowards give up, quitters give up, Yuffie gives up if you give her something shiny, but... I don't know, Cloud just never struck me as one to give up... seems highly out of character for him....' Leon shook his head. He was wasting time thinking about the blonde _again_. 'Whatever... he can go tell it all to a wall...'

Just then the front door opened and then slammed shut. The pounding of footsteps that followed alerted Leon that Yuffie had come home from wherever she had been. 'Great...' He thought dryly as he braced himself for Yuffie's normal energetic and overly dramatic entrance.

He was a bit shocked when the ninja threw herself on the couch without so much as a greeting or a look his way. 'What is this? Out of character day for everyone? First Cloud becomes a hermit, then I start _caring_ and now Yuffie isn't even- scratch that. I don't fucking care! I just miss training!'

Yuffie muttered something incoherently into the couch.

"What was that?"  
  
The dark-haired girl turned over slowly, her eyes blank as she looked at Leon. "What was what?"  
  
"Whatever you just mumbled."  
  
"I didn't mumble anything."  
  
Leon shrugged, indicating he didn't really care one way or another, which he didn't. "...Whatever."  
  
Yuffie scratched idly at her leg. "I went to see Sora earlier."

"I asked him about Cloud, if he knew why he's been acting funny lately."

"..."  
  
"D'ya wanna know what he said?"  
  
"..."

"Fine, be a bitch." Yuffie muttered, glaring at Leon before flipping onto her other side and staring at the couch.

Leon sighed and wished he had something sharp so that he could stab Yuffie repeatedly. "What?"  
  
"What what?" Yuffie asked, still sulking.

The Gunblader gritted his teeth. "What did Sora say?"  
  
She looked over her shoulder at him and sniffed. "_Now_ you want to know, hmm?"

"Yuffie..."

"Fine, fine! Jeez, don't bite my head off!" Yuffie sat up and looked at Leon for a moment before frowning. "Him and Cloud talked after the tournament for a few moments."

".......................And?"

"Aaaand... Sora said Cloud was looking for his light."

'Good for him.' Leon shot Yuffie a blank look, wanting to know what that had to do with him.

"Well, I went through all of the possible people who could be his light, right?"  
  
"..."

"And you know, after cutting out about a million bazillion people because, let's face it, Cloud has a fan club, I finally came up with the person!"

Leon raised his eyebrow. "...?"

"It's Sephiroth!" She shrieked, before clamping her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.

"Do you just want me to bring him out here and have you tell him?" Leon asked dryly.

Yuffie removed her hand from her mouth and giggled nervously. "You... you don't think he heard me, do you?"  
  
"Seeing as how he hasn't yet come out of his room, I'd say either he doesn't care or he didn't hear you..." Was the stoic response.

Yuffie breathed a sigh of relief as she began twirling a few strands of hair with her fingers. "Anyways, it _has_ to be Sephiroth. There's just _no one_ else."

"You mean that monkey from your planet?"

Yuffie surpressed a giggle. "I'd hardly call _Sephiroth _a _monkey_, Leon. He was, after all, the best swordsman on our planet, not to mention one of the prettiest men alive and-"

"An insane psycho who tried to destroy you all, if I remember correctly?"  
  
Yuffie nodded. "That too!"  
  
"... I'm still failing to see how this is any of my concern."  
  
The ninja shot Leon a glare before continuing. "Well, think about it, Leon! Sephiroth is dead. Dead. D-e-a-d. Not 'Aerith-Oh-Watch-Me-Come-Back-To-Life-See-Yuffie-You-Really-Could-Have-Gotten-That-Materia-If-Vincent-Hadn't-Been-Such-An-Ex-Turk-Bastard-Thing' dead but _dead_, as in 'He's-So-Not-Coming-Back-Boo-Hoo-And-All-That' _dead_."

Yuffie sighed in exasperation, throwing her hands up. "Leon, Cloud's gonna-"She paused, grinning sheepishly and lowering her voice before continuing. "Cloud's gonna try to _revive_ Sephiroth!"  
  
Leon raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

"_Revive Sephiroth_!" She waved her hands around, trying to get her point across. When Leon continued looking blankly at her, she sighed. "Leon, let's use some common sense here. Sephiroth is an evil, crazy bastard. We've already determined that. Cloud, blindly in love after all this time and everything that happened, isn't thinking straight and is trying to revive Sephiroth. Now, unless a _miracle_ has happened sometime without anyone knowing about it, Sephiroth will _still_ be an evil, crazy bastard upon revival. What do you think is going to happen then?" Another blank look from Leon. "He's going to try to destroy us all!" She shrieked, before clamping a hand over her mouth again. After a moment, she continued once more, making sure her voice wasn't loud enough to carry beyond the living room. "Leon, we gotta stop him! Sephiroth could do some _serious_ damage! The Heartless are _nothing _compared to the Almighty Sephiroth!"

Leon sighed and rubbed his temples. "Okay, Yuffie, just answer me _one_ thing. What in the hell do you think _I_ can do about this?"  
  
Yuffie shrugged. "I don't know." She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted a little bit. "But I know Cloud respects and values your opinion."  
  
Leon snorted. "Yeah."  
  
"I'm serious now! He really thinks highly of you!"  
  
"Right."  
  
"Leon!" She cried. "Stop being an ass! I'm serious!"  
  
The brunette sighed again. "Sounds like it's his problem to me."  
  
"Heeeello?! Were you not listening to a _word_ I said?! Sephiroth. Will. Destroy. _EVERYTHING._ Including you!!!"  
  
"Still his problem." Leon said wearily. "Once Sephiroth gets here, then I can see why it would be _my_ problem as well. But, right now, it's all his."  
  
"Leon!" She shrieked, jumping up and glaring at the brunette. "You are being selfish and stupid!"

"I'm hardly being either." Leon said coldly, glaring back at the girl.  
  
"Okay, then you explain _that_ to me, because I'm just _not_ getting it!!!"

Leon snorted. "I don't have to explain anything to you, _Yuffie_." He said flatly, before turning around and walking out of the room.

Yuffie sighed to herself, balling her hands into fists and taking a few wide swings at the air. "Grrr! Is nothing going to go right for me today?! First, I hear the awful freakin' news about _that _and then no one wants to even bother helping me!!" She shot a glare towards the bedrooms. "I hate you all!"

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Sora, Donald and Goofy all proceeded into the Third District to find Cid. The usually perky brunette was silent. Not only was he tired, but he was thinking about what Yuffie had said about Cloud and that Sephiroth guy. 'I hope Cloud doesn't get into any kind of trouble... I mean, I want him to find his light and be happy and all that... but... he wouldn't _really_ put others at risk for himself, would he? Well... not if he's anything like the person that Aerith describes him as... still... love can make a person do funny stuff.'

"Sora!" The brunette lifted his head at Donald's cry, his eyes narrowing as his Keyblade appeared in his hands, eyeing the Heartless that had appeared off in the distance.

"No problem." Sora said confidentially, even though his body was screaming in protest. 'I really need to get some sleep... my body's so sore from fighting and- what the?!'

Sora gaped as the Heartless were destroyed in an incredibly short amount of time. The trio shot a mutual look of confusion at each other before heading towards the area.

"There you are. What's going on?"

The brunette stared, blinking several times as aqua-eyes looked at him in amusement. 'Am I... am I dreaming again... is it... could it possibly be...'

"Riku!"

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**Additional Author's Notes: **Jeez. ::sweatdrop:: I thought I'd _never_ get done with this chapter! And, what do you know? Absolutely NO Leon / Cloud interaction!! ::growls:: But, for the sake of the story, we must allow Yuffie to go about her business. (Be patient! The L/C loving will be in the not-too-distant future, I promise!!)

Oh, yeah... about _Yuffie_... honestly, honestly, Aerith is one of my favourite characters. I am **not** bashing her in this chapter, but I _do_ have to agree with Yuffie on that. It drove me mad the first time I played FF VII. _Why didn't they try to grab the damned materia?! _Yes, okay, it might have not been _proper_ to grab it right upon Aerith's death, as Yuffie wanted to, but you had to go back there. Why not grab it then?! ::falls over::

And _Ansem_... yes, yes, he _had_ to make an appearance... as my main muse, he needed some kind of 'sacrifice' in order to help me complete this. (Because, let's face it, folks, Leon is _not_ very inspiring on his own. And since Leon and Ansem are my two main muses, they must work _together_ before I have something even half-way worth _typing_.) Now, why was he singing to himself about the darkness? I _really_ don't know. My Ansem is overly creepy/weird/strange/cute like that. He felt the need to sing, so I let him sing. Besides, who _doesn't_ sing silly little songs to themselves when they are alone? _Masters of Darkness are not excluded!_

Anyways, next chapter: Yuffie talks to _Aerith_ (Eheheheheh). Cloud _finally_ gets out of bed. Sora and Riku have their _scene _(Dun, dun, dun!). We just _might_ see some more of either Sephiroth or Ansem, I have yet to decide which one. As far as Leon goes... well, Leon's going to do some _inner monolouge_. ::laughs evilly::

Long authors notes end now! Don't forget to press that little button in the corner (No! Not the X button! The bottom left hand corner!) and leave me a nice review. Oh yeah, and this hasn't been beta'ed, so point out anything wrong with spelling / grammar and I promise to get right on it.

_P.S. Can you tell my Leon muse isn't too fond of poor Sephy? x.x_


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